{"id":122630,"date":"2025-07-18T17:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T15:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=122630"},"modified":"2025-07-18T08:17:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T06:17:27","slug":"18-00-102","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=122630","title":{"rendered":"Netanyahu Defines Israel\u2019s Policy in Syria as Demilitarization, Druze Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>Netanyahu Defines Israel\u2019s Policy in Syria as Demilitarization, Druze Protection<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Ailin Vilches Arguello<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Smoke rises while Syrian security forces sit in the back of a truck as Syrian troops entered the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Tuesday following two days of clashes, in Sweida, Syria July 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS\/Karam al-Masri<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday outlined Israel\u2019s two primary strategic goals in Syria as ensuring southern Syria is demilitarized and\u00a0protecting the Druze religious minority<\/a>\u00a0in the same area.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have set forth a clear policy: demilitarization of the region to south of Damascus, from the Golan Heights and to the Druze Mountain area. That\u2019s rule number one. Rule number two is protecting the brothers of our brothers, the Druze at the Druze Mountain,\u201d Netanyahu said in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoth those rules were broken by the regime in Damascus,\u201d the Israeli premier continued. \u201cThe [Syrian] regime sent troops south of Damascus, into the region that has to be demilitarized, and began slaughtering the Druze. That we could not accept in any way, and I therefore directed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to take action \u2014 and take powerful action. The Air Force attacked both the gangs of murderers and the armored vehicles. I added another target, to also attack the Ministry of Defense in Damascus.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Israel\u00a0<\/span>launched powerful\u00a0airstrikes\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0Damascus\u00a0<\/span>on Wednesday,\u00a0damaging the defense ministry<\/a>\u00a0and hitting near the presidential palace as it vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking\u00a0Druze\u00a0<\/span>communities in southern Syria and demanded they withdraw.<\/span><\/p>\n

The strikes came after days of heavy fighting broke out in the predominately Druze city of Sweida, where local Druze fighters clashed with regime forces amid growing tensions and reports of atrocities against civilians.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clashes between Druze and the Bedouins, a collection of Sunni Muslim farmers who have long-standing frictions with the Druze, earlier this week prompted the Islamist-led Syrian government to send troops to Sweida to quell the fighting, but the violence then escalated.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Israeli strikes\u00a0followed appeals from Druze leaders<\/a>\u00a0who accused the regime of waging \u201ca war of extermination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Druze are followers of a religion that is an offshoot of Islam and spread between Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Describing Syria\u2019s new rulers as\u00a0barely disguised jihadists<\/a>, Israel has consistently vowed to prevent them from deploying forces in southern Syria, which borders northeastern Israel, and pledged to protect the region\u2019s Druze community \u2014 motivated in part by appeals from Israel\u2019s own Druze minority.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not allow Syrian army forces to enter the region south of Damascus, and will not allow any harm to the Druze at the Druze Mountain,\u201d Netanyahu said on Thursday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n